


in this embrace

by halfmoonjisung



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Falling In Love, Hopeful Ending, M/M, Pining, donghyuck's pov, minor mentions of anxiety, minor mentions of panic, renhyuck, renjun's lips BADUM TSS, there's yuwin at the beginning, this is a bonus for my au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:49:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24802606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfmoonjisung/pseuds/halfmoonjisung
Summary: Donghyuck reluctantly pulled himself away from Renjun, an aching pang that wasn’t there before surfacing in his chest. “You sure?”The room was dark, only lit up by the small lamp on top of Renjun’s study table at the corner and the little bit of light the moon can offer through the window, and yet Donghyuck could see Renjun’s smile clear as day. “Always.”(or, Donghyuck sees Renjun in a different light and begins to fall in love.)
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Donghyuck | Haechan
Comments: 8
Kudos: 98





	in this embrace

**Author's Note:**

> this is a bonus for my au, [first kiss](https://twitter.com/halfmoonjisung/status/1224103222077321218?s=20), but it's not really necessary to read that in order to read this
> 
> a lot of people really loved renhyuck, so here's a small gift :) thank you for supporting this story

Donghyuck never really thought of joining the student council. He never deemed himself responsible enough to handle a position there. 

Yuta still joined them at the Fine Arts canteen (courtesy of him dating Sicheng) when he first opened up the topic. “The student council could use someone like you,” he told him one time. “You should consider running.”

“Now  _ that’s  _ a thought,” Sicheng commented.

Donghyuck wasn’t going to lie; he liked the thought of it. Unlike Sicheng, who’s constantly looking for gigs and Renjun, who’s very active in the theater club, he didn’t have any extracurricular activities to keep him occupied. He always thought the council was admirable, anyway. Since Sicheng was dating Yuta, Donghyuck and Renjun had ideas of what the council was doing other than the ones the general student body was already aware of.

“I probably won’t stand a chance,” he answered truthfully. Unlike the rumored candidates, he didn’t have past experience with student leadership. He was confident that he could handle it, but he was unsure if that was enough.

“Don’t say that!” Yuta encouraged him. “Just show them your capabilities during campaigning period, blow them away at the  _ miting di avance,  _ prove to them that you are willing to uphold every promise you make, and you’ll do well.”

“I agree,” Renjun spoke up from beside him. “If there’s anyone in this campus who deserves that position, it’d be you, Hyuck.”

Sicheng nodded. Yuta then turned to Renjun. “Wanna be his campaign manager?”

Renjun’s entire face lit up at the thought. It was one of the things that made Donghyuck say “yes” to running for candidacy; he knew Renjun had his back, and he wasn’t going to let him down.

And Renjun never made him think otherwise.

Which was why Donghyuck found himself curled up against his friend, arms hugging his knees as he pulled them close to his chest, head buried somewhere on top of them. He was  _ nervous _ , and he didn’t know how else to release the tension other than crying. Renjun was sitting upright on his bed, his arms embracing Donghyuck’s shaking figure, trying to get him to calm down.

They just had the  _ miting di avance  _ a while ago where Donghyuck had to sit in front of the entire student body, campaigning and debating with other candidates to persuade the audience to vote for him. Even before the event, he was nervous. Renjun and Sicheng stuck with him the entire week prior to the event, helping him practice his speech and testing him with questions.

“And when you can’t think of anything else to say,” Sicheng had said. “Just yell something and add ‘ _ fuck the government!’  _ afterwards.”

“Hyung!” Renjun scolded him that time, hitting his chest. Even then, Sicheng made himself clear to Donghyuck that he wasn’t joking.

Still, he managed to get through the entire thing without heeding that part of Sicheng’s advice. He delivered his speech well, and whenever he was called up to the front to present his opinions about a certain topic, he voiced them out with conviction, even cracking a few jokes along the lines to keep the crowd entertained.

And every time the crowd erupts in cheers right after he speaks, he’d hear Renjun yelling the loudest. Even though he was seated ten rows from the front, Donghyuck would always find him in the crowd, and he would be beaming brightly at him, cheering him on as always.

Election day will happen tomorrow. That’s something that Donghyuck couldn’t shake off from his mind, even after the event. It bugged him. It plagued his brain. Even though a hint of the crowd cheering for his name lingered with him, the nervous pounding of his heart didn’t stop.

He was at his dorm room when he decided to call Renjun. His best friend picked up after the first ring. “Hyuck? Everything okay?”

And Donghyuck let the words pour out. He was  _ scared _ . Every insecurity, every doubt, everything that made him feel like he wasn’t enough and that he didn’t deserve the position and that he’ll most likely lose, he let it all out on Renjun.

When his words were cut off by a sob threatening to escape his throat, he asked Renjun, “Can I come over?”

“I was just about to ask you if you wanted to do that."

Renjun lived off-campus. Thanks to his family friend, they were able to afford a nice apartment. Meanwhile, Donghyuck stayed in the campus dorms. He’d get in trouble if his dorm manager found out he’s sneaking out again, but he didn’t care. He wanted to reach Renjun as soon as possible.

By the time he knocked on Renjun’s apartment door, his best friend was already on the other side, taking him in his arms as he cried.

That’s how they ended up in this position on top of Renjun’s bed; Donghyuck curled up against his best friend, sobbing quietly, while Renjun had him in a comforting embrace, whispering words of encouragement.

“I’m scared…” Donghyuck confessed, head still leaning against Renjun’s chest.

“I know, Hyuck,” Renjun told him. “It’s okay, I’m here.”

Donghyuck let out a shaky sigh. He stopped crying nervous tears a while ago, but he was still trembling. 

“Stay here for the night,” Renjun suggested, now playing with his hair. 

Donghyuck smiled. “I don’t have any stuff with me, though.”

“So?” Renjun said. “You can borrow my clothes.”

Donghyuck reluctantly pulled himself away from Renjun, an aching pang that wasn’t there before surfacing in his chest. “You sure?”

The room was dark, only lit up by the small lamp on top of Renjun’s study table at the corner and the little bit of light the moon can offer through the window, and yet Donghyuck could see Renjun’s smile clear as day. “Always.”

Donghyuck’s heart skipped a bit. That took him by surprise; it has never happened before.

“Now come on!” Renjun lay down on his bed, his hand gripping Donghyuck’s arm, forcing him to follow suit. Donghyuck landed with a soft thud on Renjun’s pillow. They were now facing each other, and Renjun used one of his hands to reach out to Donghyuck’s hair, just so he could play with it. “I’ll sing you to sleep.”

Donghyuck laughed a little. “You don’t have to do that.”

“But I want to,” Renjun smiled. “Now sleep. I’ll be right here with you.”

Renjun wrapped an arm around Donghyuck, pulling him close. “Wait,” Donghyuck said. “Won’t you get tired of singing?”

“Just sleep, Hyuck,” Renjun said, ruffling his hair and pulling him close. “Let me be here for you.”

Renjun then started to sing an unfamiliar Chinese song while he played with Donghyuck’s hair and held him close. Donghyuck couldn’t understand a single thing from the lyrics, but the way Renjun sang it was enough to get the message across; that he was going to be right there for him.

Renjun seemed to be in a daze as he continued to sing. Donghyuck, however, was focused. He stared at Renjun as he sang, and the new foreign feeling in his chest resurfaced again. He felt his cheeks heating up, his palms sweating, and his heart pounding fast. His eyes scanned Renjun’s face; solemn, but sharp. He let himself melt against his embrace; gentle, but firm. His eyes went from gazing at Renjun’s eyes, to tracing the bridge of his nose, until it landed on his lips.

And for some reason, Donghyuck felt the strong urge to find out how those lips would feel on his; if they were really as soft as they looked, as rough as Renjun used to complain, as sweet as he imagined.

He gulped, eyes widening a little bit at the thought.

_ Did he just think of kissing Renjun? His best friend? _

Before he could dwell on it any further, he scolded himself internally to sleep instead. Maybe, it was just his emotions talking. He did have a minor breakdown a while ago.

Ignoring the pounding of his heart, he closed his eyes, let himself get lost in Renjun's lullaby, and allowed sleep to take him away as he rested in the security of Renjun’s embrace.

He thought after waking up, he wouldn’t feel  _ that _ again. That the urge to kiss Renjun was simply just his emotions messing with him.

But when he woke up the next morning and the first thing he saw was Renjun’s solemn sleeping face resting against his shoulder, his heart leaped out of his chest. Renjun’s breathing was even, and that completely contrasted Donghyuck’s own breathing.

Last night, he admired Renjun in the dark. This time, however, the daylight was greeting them, sunshine brushing over Renjun’s sleeping figure, illuminating him more than last night.

And he looked beautiful.

Donghyuck’s eyes landed on Renjun’s slightly parted lips again. They still looked just as soft, and it took everything in him to hold himself back from wanting to kiss him.

It was also at that moment that Donghyuck came in terms with himself.

You don’t just look at Renjun and suddenly want to kiss him and tell yourself that those didn’t mean anything.

As the daylight shone on them again, Donghyuck started to see Renjun in a different light too.

His beating heart was a testament to do that.

Renjun shifted a little bit, and after a few seconds, he woke up and squinted, looking around the room before his drowsy gaze rested on Donghyuck’s face. He gave him a lazy smile. “You’re awake!” Renjun said before running his fingers through Donghyuck’s hair again. “Good morning.”

Donghyuck smiled at him right back. “Good morning.”

“Today’s the day,” Renjun continued, the smile not leaving his face. “Whatever happens, I’ll be here for you. Always. Remember that, okay?”

_ Yeah,  _ Donghyuck thought.  _ I might be falling in love. _

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! it's not much, but ehhhhh we love renhyuck in this household!
> 
> (also sorry hehe)
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/halfmoonjisung) | [cc](https://curiouscat.me/halfmoonjisung)


End file.
